Health and Disease Are Dynamic Complex-Adaptive States Implications for Practice and Research

Abstract

Interoception, the ability to convey one's overall physiological state, allows people to describe their health along an experiential continuum, from excellent, very good, good, fair to poor. Each health state reflects a distinct pattern of one's overall function. This assay provides a new frame of understanding health and disease as complex-adaptive system states of the person as-a-whole. It firstly describes how complex patterns can emerge from simple equations. It then discusses how clinical medicine in certain domains has started to explore the pattern characteristics resulting in the heterogeneity of disease, and how this better understanding has improved patient management. The experiential state of health can be surprising to the observer—some are in good health with disabling disease, others are in poor health without the evidence of any. The main part of the assay describes the underlying complexity principles that contribute to health, and synthesizes available evidence from various research perspectives to support the philosophic/theoretical proposition of the complex-adaptive nature of health. It shows how health states arise from complex-adaptive system dynamics amongst the variables of a hierarchically layered system comprising the domains of a person's macro-level external environment to his nano-level biological blueprint. The final part suggests that the frame of health as a dynamic complex-adaptive state defines a new paradigm, and outlines ways of translating these expanded understandings to clinical practice, future research, and health system design.

Understanding Whole-Person Health and Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond: A Cross-sectional and Descriptive Correlation Study

“…The finding that those with Emotions challenges have fewer strengths and more challenges and needs across all four domains compared to those without Emotions challenges aligns with the literature regarding the impact of mental health on all of health [ 38 , 39 ]. Results align with prior studies that health and disease are a dynamic interconnected state with a ripple effect on other aspects of health [ 3 , 40 ]. Tools such as SOST and MSMH can provide a whole-person assessment and identify areas of strengths to leverage and help boost resilience.…”

Understanding women’s help-seeking for problematic and unhealthy alcohol use through the lens of complexity theory

“…Participants often continued drinking while in the process of seeking detox treatment. Some, experienced severe visible health symptoms, for example liver failure, bleeding gums and psychiatric symptoms that forced them to adapt their lifestyle: Of note, however, is how the illness can be triggered by the body functioning, (whether or not it is induced by addiction)which in itself the body is a complex adaptive system and when there is immune dysregulation, can causes poor health (Sturmberg, 2021). The above quotation portrays traumatic experiences linked to physical health or loss of health that then triggered relapse for several of our participants.…”

“…Of note, however, is how the illness can be triggered by the body functioning, (whether or not it is induced by addiction) – which in itself the body is a complex adaptive system and when there is immune dysregulation, can causes poor health (Sturmberg, 2021). The above quotation portrays traumatic experiences linked to physical health or loss of health that then triggered relapse for several of our participants.…”

Impact of Plant-Based Meat Alternatives on the Gut Microbiota of Consumers: A Real-World Study

“…In addition, we agree with Johnson and Burnet of Oxford University that lessons from wider ecological systems demonstrate that diversity is just one of myriad factors to consider when analysing an ecosystem, and that its stability, structure and function are equally important [ 112 ]. Therefore, we see the marginal changes in alpha- and beta-diversity as part of the natural state of self-organisation of the gut microbiome, which we see as a living complex adaptive system engaging in ongoing acclimatisation, one of the principal characteristics of complex-adaptive dynamics [ 113 , 114 ]. The gut microbiome is constantly being challenged by ongoing micro-perturbations, e.g., ingestion of different compounds from different plant-based foods, each day; thus, it is safe to say that it is in a constant state of flux.…”